Toronto Blue Jays news, rumors and injuries

Fantasy Tip: Smoak ($3,200 FantasyScore, 6.4% of cap) could benefit from a change of scenery, as he never quite lived up to his billing with the Seattle Mariners. For now, see how much Smoak hits before spending money.

Fantasy Tip: Norris is the feel-good story of Blue Jays camp, having lived in a van in Florida while camp was going on. He may be worth a late-round flier in AL leagues, as it is likely he will keep the job barring a slump to start the year.

Toronto Blue Jays SP Drew Hutchison will make his first ever opening day start against the New York Yankees in New York Monday, April 6. Hutchison is 1-2 with a 4.80 ERA in three career starts at Yankee Stadium. Hutchison went 11-13 with a 4.48 ERA in 32 starts in 2014, and he is 3-0 with a 1.80 ERA in four spring training outings.

Fantasy Tip: Hutchison's ($5,000, 10.0% of cap) track record on the road against the Yankees doesn't scream for you to start him at FantasyScore on opening day. He should be a fine fantasy asset in deep mixed leagues in 2015, however, and he'll be a cheaper pitching option in the right matchups for daily lineups.

Fantasy Tip: This is a good development and raises Buehrle's fantasy value a bit. Buehrle is a solid first-half starter but always has trouble facing the Yankees. Buehrle is a decent AL-only bet in the middle to later rounds of your draft.

Fantasy Tip: Papelbon should be a reliable source of saves this season regardless of where he pitches, because he almost certainly will be used as a closer. The Jays are one of 17 teams Papelbon can officially reject a trade to, although he expressed interest earlier this spring in pitching for them.

Fantasy Tip: Castro has allowed three hits and no walks in nine scoreless innings while fanning eight batters this spring. He's worth watching or taking a flyer on in the final round for ratio help in traditional leagues.

Toronto Blue Jays 1B Edwin Encarnacion (back) returned to game action Thursday, March 26, after sitting out since Sunday, March 8. "I took a couple of swings today, didn't feel anything, so I feel ready to go," Encarnacion said.

Fantasy Tip: Over the past three seasons, Encarnacion ($6,200, 12.4% of cap) has emerged as a legit four-category fantasy contributor with an average of 86 runs, 37 home runs, 104 RBI and .274/.370/.546 slash line. Encarnacion will likely come off the board in Round 1 of drafts as a result. Consider him an excellent foundation for your seasonal team, and in favorable matchups, he is a sound starting point for FantasyScore lineups.

Toronto Blue Jays RP Brett Cecil (shoulder) made his spring debut Thursday, March 26, pitching one inning and recording a strikeout. He said the plan is to take a couple days off, then pitch in back-to-back games and proceed from there.

Fantasy Tip: Over the past two seasons, Cecil has finished 29 games and recorded six saves with a 2.76 ERA, a 1.22 WHIP and 146 strikeouts through 114 innings. He is expected to be ready for opening day and will serve as the closer. Currently, Cecil is a late-round bargain for saves, but expect his name to begin being called earlier and earlier in drafts as the season approaches, especially if there aren't any additional setbacks.

Fantasy Tip: Viciedo ($3,300, 6.6% of cap) exhibited flashes with the Chicago White Sox. He hits for a low average and strikes out a lot, but he has 66 career homers in three seasons worth of at-bats. He could be a post-hype flyer worth using on FantasyScore the first couple of weeks.

Fantasy Tip: Norris ($3,000, 6.0% of cap) is battling for a rotation spot and appears likely to break camp with a starting gig. He has high-end strikeout potential and warrants attention as a late-round flier in the majority of formats. However, his 22 2/3 innings with Triple-A Buffalo and his 6 2/3 with Toronto last season are his only experience above Class AA, so he is extremely green. At his price, he'll make an excellent FantasyScore play, too.

Toronto Blue Jays 2B Maicer Izturis (groin) has been shut down from baseball activities for at least 10 days because of a strained groin. Izturis is expected to miss Opening Day.

Fantasy Tip: On top of his missed season last year due to knee injuries, this is getting to be a lost cause. What little fantasy value Izturis has is rapidly declining, so do not draft unless you have a very deep AL or mixed league.

Fantasy Tip: Estrada is competing for the fifth spot in the rotation, but his 9.39 ERA and 1.70 WHIP though 7 2/3 innings this spring aren't helping his case. More concerning is his 2.3 HR/9 mark this spring, as the long ball has plagued him throughout his career, and his new home ballpark won't help that any. Estrada is a fallback option for the fifth spot, and expect Daniel Norris and Aaron Sanchez to be the preferred options if the youngsters are ready. All three pitchers warrant AL-only attention if they land in the rotation, and Norris and Sanchez have upside in mixed leagues.